Educating Rita is supposedly set in Liverpool but Dublin stands unconvincing for the city and Liverpool University.

However Willy Russell captures a slice of working class life where women were expected to get married and produce babies. Self development was not part of the scheme. I was still at school when this film was released. I clearly remember one of our teacher's telling the girls in our class to watch Educating Rita and avoid the fate that is expected of them.

Rita (Julie Walters) is a gobby hairdresser who wants to improve herself and learn literature. She is 27 years old and enrols in an Open University course. Her partner does not understand this yearning for learning. He hits the roof when he finds out that Rita is still on the pill.

Dr Bryant (Michael Caine) is the literature professor whose life is shaken up by Rita. Dr Bryant is a drunk, a writer who has little esteem of his own poetry and bored of teaching.

At first the professor cannot understand why would Rita want to enroll in the Open University. He is then impressed by her energy and zest for learning. Rita's educational development leads him to compare her with Mary Shelley's most famous work. Dr Bryant has created a monster.

Comparisons can be made with Pygmalion. Rita becomes well read and learn to critically appraise books instead of speaking properly.

The film is simply refreshing and positive. It is notable that it is the posh people in this film that also has problems. Drink, adultery, depression.

This small scale film was made by director Lewis Gilbert. His previous movie was the James Bond spectacle Moonraker that featured space shuttles and laser guns.

Michael Caine gives one of his best performances. A more astonishing and natural performance is given by Julie Walters.

It is hard to believe that Julie Walters had appeared in a series with her friend Victoria Wood called Wood & Walters for Granada TV, a year earlier. It flopped badly. Both of them later ended up as national treasures.

"Educating Rita" is a movie based on the play. And, when you watch it, you realize that the story is very much a reworking of the old film "A Star is Born". Worth watching, even if it lacks complete originality.

The story begins with Rita (Julie Walters) seeing Dr. Bryant for tutoring. Despite her being very much a working class lady, Rita wants to become educated and Dr. Bryant is her chance. Through the course of their relationship, he teaches her to think and appreciate literature like a good college student...and, over time, he falls deeper and deeper into self-pity and alcoholism.

While Professor Bryant does not drown himself at the end nor does Rita win an Oscar, it's is so much like "A Star is Born". You see Rita grow, blossom and develop courage...much like Esther Blodgett in the other film. Worth seeing and with some really nice performances by both Walters (in her first film) and Caine.

Dr. Bryant (Michael Caine) is a bored drunk literature college professor. Rita White (Julie Walters) is an uneducated hairdresser. She tries to take him as her tutor for the Open University but he rejects her. She refuses to accept and fixes his door instead. Frank's wife left him and his girlfriend Julia is cheating on him with Brian. Rita's simple husband Denny wants to have kids but she's secretly taking the pill.

Julie Walters is a revelation and Michael Caine is actually doing good work rather than just cashing in another paycheque. The situations are a little broad. The characters are a little too archetypal. However the performances are terrific and they elevate the material.